Automobile switch lock



Judy 22 1924.

E. J. MARTEL.

AUTOMOBILE SWITCH LOCK Original Filed July 1 192! Patented July 22, 1924,

UNITED EDGAR J. MARTEL, or LACONIA, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

AUTOMIOBILE SWITCH L0 CK.

Original application filed July 1, 1921, Serial No. 481,769. Divided and this application filed November 11, 1922. Serial No. 600,320. g

To all whom it may concern: a 7

Be it known that I, EDGAR J. MARTEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Laconia, in the county of Belknap and State of New Hampshire, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Automobile Switch Locks, of which the following is a specification. 7 c

This invention relates to automobile looks more especially of that type designed to lock the ignition switch. According to this invention not only is the ignition switch locked in off position, but provision is also made for locking the lighting switch in any position on or off, as may be desired, .at the same time. While not limited to such use, this invention has been designed to be used in conjunction with a device for locking the clutch and brake pedals of the machine, the whole combination and the pedal lock per se being described and claimed in my application for patent Serial Number 481,769, filed July 1, 1921, entitled automobile locks, of which the present application is a division.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a front elevation partly broken away of the ignition and lighting switches and the lock and'the casing for these parts. v

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig ure 1. r

Figure 3 is a section on line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a detail of the locking bolt showing the ignition disk switch in dotted lines.

Figure 5 is aside View. of the ignition switch showing the locking bolt in dotted lines. V

Figure 6 is a diagram of the ignition and lighting circuits at the dashboard.

Referring to these figures,=* indicates a casing adapted to be made fast to the clashboard of a Vehicle and containing the switch mechanisms controlling the ignition circuit for the engine and the lights for the car, the lighting switch operating handle being in dicated at and the ignition switch handle 41. The handle 40 is fixed to a shaft 42 extending within the casing and carries therein a disk 43 of insulating material. As

shown more particularly in Figure 3 this disk carries a metallic contact 44 which may be brought in turn into bridging contact between pairs of spring terminals such as shown at 45 and 46. The handle 41 is Similarly fixed to a shaft 47 carrying within the casing a disk of insulating material 48 lying incthe plane of the disk 48 and adjacent thereto and which carries also a-similar metallic contact element 49 which may make bridging contact between the'termina'ls 50 and 51 of the ignition circuit.

'A single pair of terminals only is required for the ignition circuit, but the light 1 g circuit requires a plurality of such pairs,

in the present embodiment three being shown, one pair being indicated at 45 and 46 and similar pairs adjacent thereto being indicated at 53 and 54'and 55 and 56. For example, the terminals 53 and 54 when connected by the metallic bridge 44, may close the circuit for bright lights, while thecontacts 45 and 46, when bridged, may close the' circuit for dim lights, and the contacts 55 and 56, when bridged, may close the contact for curb light; For .holding the switch yieldingly in any of its positions the outer edge of the disk 43 has a seriesof notchesor depressions 57 therein for engagement bye.

spring finger 58 mounted at one end of a leaf spring59 fixed at its other end to the wall of the casing. It will be noted that there is one more notch 57 than pairs of contacts for the various lighting circuits, the

additional notch serving to hold the disk in' position where no contacts are bridged, this being the off position of the switch when no lights are burning. The disk48 is similarly provided with a pair of notches 60 with which cooperates a spring" finger61 carried at the end of a leaf spring 62 fixed to the casing, these notches determining on and off positions for the ignition. The disk 43 also has a series of rectangular notches 65 corresponding in number and relative osition to the notches 57 while the] disk 48 has afsimilar notch at 66, there being'one such notch only in this disk, These notches are sopositioned that when the ignition cir cuit is in or position, in which case the contact 49 fails to bridge the contacts 50 and 51, the notch'66 will be substantially opposite to one of the notches 65 of the disk 43, the disks 43 and 48 being positioned in the same plane.

4 locking bolt or plunger 70 is mounted in a gnideway 71 fined to the rearface of the casing 30 in position so that its forward end may be projected transversely of the plane of the disks a3 and 4S Within the slots and 66 so that when in projected position both disks 4:3 and 48 are locked against turning, movement. This locking bolt is projected by means of a lever 7 2 pivoted at 73 to a portion of the casing and having aslqt at its upper end at 74 engaging; over aj pin 7.5 fixed to the bolt 70. Near its lower end lever 72 carries on one face thereof; a pin 76 riding in a groove in the. locking collar 33. This collar 33 is canried: by pnll rod 31 having a handle pull member SQprOjecting forwardly or" the front; face of the casing 30 and in easy reach of the driver and is adapted to be engaged, when the rod is pulled forwardly into locking position, by a bolt 34; of a lock 35 accessible from the forward face of the casingto a key by which it may be unlocked. 'liiherear end ofthe rod 31 may, if desired, beconnected by a cable 28 with a pedal lock such as vis described in the application abovementioned of which this is a division and by whichthe. rod is; normally urged inward; to unlockingposition.

VVh-ile; the lighting circuits may be locked n, any. Posit e ir d he her n y Off or, the curb light only lighted, the lights b ng dim ed Q n f l t; s ay sirable toloc k the car with the ignition ofli. For this reasonone notch 66 only has been provided for: the disk 48. To further insure that the ignitionbe off'when locking is. effected, provision ismade by which should this switch not be in off position, it will be; thrown to; such position on the locking t a etlie car. For this purpose the rear face of the; disk; 48;. is provided with an outstandingcamport'on 80, shown best in Fig ure 4, so positioned that if the disk 4 8 is turned-to close the ignition switch the lockbolt 70 will impinge thereon and urge the disk48 in a direction to'open the ignition switch, This action is shown in Figure-8 in which a slight modification of the locking bolt is shown, it being formed integral with-the upper end of the actuating lever, the lever; being indicated at 72 and the bolt being indicated at 70.

Fromthis description it will be; seen that this invention provides. a locking mechanism-by which it isrinsured that the ignition circuit is open when the car islocked,

but wherein the lighting circuit may be locked in any position of adjustment de sired'so that-it may not be tampered with.

- Having thus described an embodiment of this invention it should be evident to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications might be made therein without departing from its spirit or scope as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an automobile, an ignition switch, a lighting switch, each of said switches including a' pivoted disk, said ignition switch disk having a peripheral notch therein, and said lighting switch having a plurality of such notches therein, a bolt projectable through the notch in said ignition switch disk and any one of said notches in said lighting switch disk to lock said ignition switch and said lighting switch in any of a plurality of positions, and a cam member carried by said ignition switch disk and engageable by said plunger when said switch is in on position to move it to off position as the bolt is projected.

2. In combination, a lighting switch Conn prising a pivoted disk, an ignition switch comprising a pivoted disk lying in the plane of said lighting switch disk and adjacent thereto, said disks having peripheral notches, and a locking element movable transverse to the plane of said disks and engageable within said notches to lock said disks from turning.

3. In combination, a lighting switch comprising a pivoted disk, an ignition switch comprising a pivoted disk lying in the plane of said lighting switch disk, said lighting switch disk having a plurality of peripheral notches, and said ignition diskhaving a single notch, and a plunger projectable be tween said disks transversely of the plane thereof; and engaging in said single notch of said ignition switch disk and in any of said notches of said lighting switch disk for preventing said disks from turning.

4. In combination, a lighting switch comprising a pivoted disk, an ignition switch comprising a pivoted disk lying in the plane of said lighting switch disk, said lighting switch disk having a plurality of peripheral notches, and said ignition disk having a single peripheral notch, a plunger projectable between said disks transversely of the plane thereof and engaging in said single notch of said ignition switch disk and in any of said notches of said lighting switch disk for preventing said diskstrom turning, and means "for locking said plunger in pro jected position. 7

In testimony whereof I haveatiixed my signature,

GAR J. MA 

